Sweet Reprieve
by The-Cursed-Daughter
Summary: Why do we say the things we want to those who are gone?...Staring at the sun is a double-edge blade, the beauty is a glorious rapture, but the glare prevents you from seeing what's right in front of you..."What have we done?"....Chartrand/Carlo one-shots
1. Chapter 1

_Okay, so some of you have noticed that we're on hiatus, but we recently came across these fics that we wrote for a LJ community....if you want the link, we'll send it to you._

They're Chartrand/Carlo.

_God only knows why people haven't caught on to this pairing. There are several one-shots, and each of them still has the warning from LJ. Only one of them is M-rated._

**_Warnings/Disclaimers: We own nothing but the plot. _**

* * *

**_Titles:_**_ Whispers__  
_**_Summary:_**_ None__  
_**_Rating:_**_ T__  
_**_Warnings: _**_Slight swearing, and a nice little twist in the end__  
_**_Timeline:_**_ Post A&D__  
_**_Disclaimers:_**_ We own nothing but the plot.__  
_**_Dedication:_**_ Happy Birthday, Kirsten, you silly bitch! We love you!_

_-_

Carlo was sitting on the cool marble as Chartrand came in. The younger man looked worse for the wear—his blonde hair was mussed up, his eyes were red and bloodshot, and his uniform was rumpled and haphazardly buttoned. The guard rubbed his eyes. "I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner—Olivetti had us running like mad trying to clean up the....." he paused, "the incident."

"It's alright."

"I mean, I should have come sooner, I just couldn't get away."

The priest frowned. "Chatrand, it's okay."

Chartrand paused, then murmured. "I'm sorry." There was a long awkward silence, and then he asked, "Why did you do it?"

"Because I had to," Carlo explained.

"I'm not talking about killing the Pope, or the _preferiti_, or the antimatter." Chartrand pressed his lips together tightly. "Why did you decide to try and end it like that?"

Carlo sighed, reaching out to touch the younger man, but decided against it. "I was the Horror, Chartrand. I was the Horror, and the people singing in the square are the Hope. I showed the world that religion belongs to God."

Chartrand choked back a sob. "You shouldn't have done it."

"But I had to."

"You shouldn't have done it!" Chartrand screamed, his voice cracking. Carlo winced to see tears streaming down the guard's face. "You should have listened to the Pope—none of this would have happened if you had just stopped to listen!"

"Would you have listened?" Carlo demanded.

"I wouldn't have listened either." Chartrand stopped and took a deep breath. "Look, I'm sorry—I just—" he sighed and rubbed his temples. "I loved you, you know."

The priest froze, his eyes wide. "Chartrand...."

"I did," the man continued. "I mean, I never told you that—the whole time we were sneaking around. I never told you, and now I am." Chartrand frowned. "I'm sorry."

Carlo smiled gently. "Stop apologizing."

Chartrand sighed. "I'm sorry—shit, I'm still saying sorry." His eyes widened. "Oh shit, I just said shit, didn't I? Oh God, I'm sorry about—" The man paused and started laughing. "I'm hopeless, aren't I?"

Carlo grinned. "But that's why I love you."

There was another long silence, and then Chartrand whispered, "I miss you."

The man reached out and traced the swirling design of the urn that lay next to the body of the late Pope—a fitting place for his son. Placing the small flower he had brought with him—a daffodil—next to the urn, Chartrand blew out the last candle and walked out of the small alcove.

Carlo watched him leave. "I miss you too."

* * *

REVIEW! We'll be back soon!

_Kit &_ Violet


	2. Chapter 2

_Second one. Song fic......I love this song._

Enjoy!

**_Warnings/Disclaimers: We own nothing but the plot._**

* * *

**_Title:_**_ Staring At The Sun__  
_**_Pairing: _**_Carlo/Chartrand, Chartrand/OC__  
_**_Rating:_**_ T__  
_**_Warnings:_**_ angst, mention of sex, shattering champagne glasses__  
_**_Summary:_**_ None__  
_**_Timeline: _**_Before A&D__  
_**_Song: _**_I Write Sins, Not Tragedies (Panic! At The Disco)_

_-_

_**Oh, well imagine  
As I'm pacing the pews in a church corridor  
And I can't help but to hear  
No, I can't help but to hear an exchanging of words**_

He had been told since he was little that staring at the sun was dangerous and possibly blinding.

Carlo winced as he watched the sun rise from above St. Peter's Basilica, not minding the pain that seared his eyes as he stared straight at the fiery ball of fire. He didn't mind the pain in his eyes, because despite how small a nuisance it was, it distracted him from the pain that was shredding away at his heart as the minutes passed.

Today was the day Chartrand was getting married—the first ever Swiss Guard to do so, since the Pope had allowed it.

He really shouldn't have been surprised, Carlo chastised himself. What did he expect? There was never _really_ anything between him and the younger man—no matter how much both of them pretended. Carlo was _Il Camerlengo_, the Pope's right hand man, and Chartrand was a sworn Swiss Guard. What could he have possibly offered him, besides secret stolen moments? Carlo had known from the minute he had met Chartrand that nothing could ever happen between them.

* * *

_Chartrand had jumped in surprise as Commander Olivetti, who had just been talking to him, snapped straight and saluted. Was he saluting him? Surely not—today was his first day; he had done nothing worth saluting. _

_**"What a beautiful wedding!  
What a beautiful wedding!", says a bridesmaid to a waiter  
"And yes, but what a shame, what a shame  
The poor groom's bride is a whore"**_

"_Please, Commander, there is no need to salute on my account." A smooth voice behind him startled the Swiss Guard, who had whirled to see an absolutely handsome man smiling at him. He would have figured the newcomer for another Guard, except for the fact that he wore priest's robes. _

_Chartrand saluted. "Hello, Father."_

_Behind him, Olivetti asked, "Camerlengo Ventresca, what are you doing in the Swiss Guard Headquarters?"_

_Chartrand's jaw dropped. "You are the camerlengo?!"_

_The man smiled. "Yes. Does that surprise you?"_

_**I chime in with a  
"Haven't you people ever heard of closing a goddamn door?!"  
No, it's much better to face these kinds of things  
With a sense of poise and rationality**_

_The rookie spluttered. "I-I'm sorry Father Ventresca, I just thought—"_

_Ventresca laughed. "Quite alright; I get that all the time. And please, call me Carlo."_

"_Father, I couldn't! That would be disrespec—"_

_Something flashed in Carlo's eyes and he smiled. "Please, I insist." Gesturing to the headquarters, he asked, "Are you new to the Guard?"_

_Chartrand nodded. "Today is my first day," he paused as the camerlengo looked at him expectantly, "Carlo." It felt very strange speaking to a priest like that, but Carlo didn't seem to mind. _

_**I chime in  
"Haven't you people ever heard of closing a goddamn door?!"  
No, it's much better to face these kinds of things  
With a sense of**_

_Carlo gestured across the square. "I'm sure you'll like it here, Lieutenant Chartrand." He paused, and a smirk flashed across his lips. "If you would like, I would be happy to show you around Vatican City."_

_Chartrand, emboldened, smirked back. "It would be an honor, Carlo."_

* * *

In fact, Carlo thought, their whole 'relationship' was a sacrilegious farce. He had made the choice to become a priest, to be celibate—what could have possibly possessed him to think that God would make an exception just for him?

Didn't he realize how much danger he had been putting them both in? If they were caught during one of their carefully hidden trysts, Chartrand could be tried in court, and he would be defrocked—shaming himself, the Catholic Church, and most importantly, his father.

And yet, neither of them could help it—they kept coming back again and again, pretending for one night out of many that the world would simply accept them. Pretending that they could love each other without God's punishment slamming down on them.

_**Well in fact  
Well I'll look at it this way  
I mean technically our marriage is saved  
Well this calls for a toast, so pour the champagne**_

* * *

"_Chartrand!" _

_The cry tore from Carlo's lips as he came, collapsing next to the Guard on the bed, breathing hard. They lay that way for several minutes before Chartrand voice—still rough with lust—broke the silence. "What are we doing?"_

_Carlo sighed. "I don't know."_

"_We really shouldn't be doing this," Chartrand continued, staring at the ceiling. _

_Carlo's heart stopped. "Do you want to stop?"_

_**Oh! Well in fact  
Well I'll look at it this way  
I mean technically our marriage is saved  
Well this calls for a toast, so pour the champagne  
Pour the champagne**_

_There was a rustle of cloth as Chartrand sat up, his hair and eyes wild. "No! I love you!" Taking in a deep breath, he leaned against the headboard. "I'm just wondering if what we're doing is right." A second later he laughed. "I mean, I know it's not, but I wish it was." Chartrand glanced at Carlo. "It's not as if we could get married, even though His Holiness decreed that Swiss Guard could marry." Carlo still didn't answer, and Chartrand sighed. "I just wish we could have more, you know?"_

_Carlo rolled over on his side and looked up at the younger man. "I know."_

* * *

Looking back, it was obvious. She had been appearing more and more often, always around Chartrand whenever Carlo looked. He saw the Guard laugh with her and pretended that she was just a friend.

But honestly? Carlo had known the moment she appeared—even before that, he assumed—that he would never stand a chance against her. Chartrand didn't have to hide with her, sneak around the churches and make up excuses for the random bruises and red marks all over him.

But even still, when he heard the truth, spoken to him straight from the horse's mouth—God's message, pure and simple—it still shattered Carlo, as if he hadn't already known.

_**I chime in with a  
"Haven't you people ever heard of closing a goddamn door?!"  
No, it's much better to face these kinds of things  
With a sense of poise and rationality**_

* * *

_The chiming of a knife on glass hushed the chatter of the party. Members of the Swiss Guard, and the other partygoers—priests and citizens of Vatican City alike—all looked up at the young man and the young woman who stood next to him, beaming. _

_Carlo smiled at Chartrand, but the man refused to return his gaze, instead looking over the crowd. "Some of you may have already figured this out," Chartrand began, smiling widely, "But Angela and I are getting married." Grinning with joy, Angela displayed the ring as people screamed and whistled._

_The camerlengo's grip tightened on his champagne glass as Chartrand looked everywhere but at him. The noises of well-wishers turned to white noise in his ears, and he was barely aware of a stinging pain in his hand until a voice next to him shocked him back to reality._

"_Father Ventresca?" the Swiss Guard who had been sitting next to him looked concerned. "Father, are you alright? Your glass shattered!"_

_Carlo looked down at his hand, which cradled the remains of his champagne glass, blood oozing from the cuts on his fingertips. Wiping his hand off on the napkin next to his plate—watching the blood smear—Carlo managed a smile. "I'm perfectly fine."_

_**I chime in  
"Haven't you people ever heard of closing a goddamn door?!"  
No, it's much better to face these kinds of things  
With a sense of poise and rationality  
Again**_

* * *

A knock on his door startled him, and Carlo tore his eyes away from the sun, blinking the glare from his eyes as he stared at the assistant that had peered into his room. "Father Ventresca? Are you ready?"

"Ready?" he repeated slowly.

"Yes, for the church event today? Are you ready—we need to leave." The assistant looked concerned. "Are you alright, Father?"

Carlo shook the fog from his head and smiled. "Oh, of course. I'm sorry Rosie; I was merely dazed." He gestured out the window. "The view is beautiful."

Rosie smiled. "Very."

_**I chime in  
"Haven't you people ever heard of closing a goddamn door?!"  
No, it's much better to face these kinds of things  
With a sense of poise and rationality**_

* * *

Carlo stood in the room behind the church altar, waiting for the service start—it would begin any second now. As if on cue, the door opened and one of the altar boys gestured him in. Carlo took his place at the altar, listening to the music start as the bride walked down the aisle toward him. She was gorgeous, and the groom could hardly tear his eyes away from her—in fact, he seemed to be looking everywhere but at the priest behind him. As the bride approached, Carlo heard himself say, "Who gives this woman to be married to this man?"

He was lucky, Carlo mused as the bride took her place next to the groom, to be the priest chosen to conduct the wedding ceremony for the first Swiss Guard ever to be married. As the music came to a halt, Carlo smiled sadly at the man he loved and began, "Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God, and in the face of this company, to join together this Man and this Woman in holy Matrimony........"

_**I chime in  
"Haven't you people ever heard of closing a goddamn door?!"  
No, it's much better to face these kinds of things  
With a sense of poise and rationality  
Again**_

* * *

_Review!!_

_Kit & _Violet


	3. Chapter 3

_This is the lemon. My first 'in-depth' (If it can be called that) sex scene._

Kit......it doesn't suck.

_Let's leave that for the readers to decide, shall we?_

**_Warnings/Disclaimers: We own nothing but the plot._**

* * *

**_Title:_**_ Mistakes__  
_**_Summary:_**_ None__  
_**_Rating: _**_R/NC-17__  
_**_Pairing:_**_ Carlo/Chartrand__  
_**_Warnings: _**_Rimming, sex, angst__  
_**_Timeline:_**_ Before A&D__  
_**_Disclaimers: _**_We (Kit and Violet) own nothing but the plot. Everything else goes to Dan Brown.__  
_**_Dedication:_**_ Our friend asked us to write this, but we wanna dedicate it to lovelycudy, 'cause she introduced us to this community, and because she kicked our asses back into slash-gear!_

-

_This is so wrong. _

The thought briefly flickered through Lieutenant Chartrand's mind as he was pushed against the mattress, two of the camerlengo's fingers up his ass, and his tongue in his mouth. Chartrand had merely come up to the camerlengo's apartments to drop off some papers that needed to be signed for His Holiness's visit to Berlin, and he ended up tripping over one of the camerlengo's cats, scattering papers everywhere. The camerlengo had caught him seconds before he cracked his head open on the polished wooden floor, and Chartrand had found himself................

In the camerlengo's bed, hungrily pulling off Carlo's shirt as the priest abused his prostate.

_God, this is so, so wrong. _

Chartrand realized he had spoken out loud when Carlo looked up from kissing a trail down the younger man's neck. "I know," he whispered harshly, his voice rough with lust. Carlo's fingers brushed over his prostate again, and Chartrand arched up off the bed, his mouth open in a silent scream, sparks flashing behind his eyes. "Do you want me to stop?"

Carlo's free hand wandered down to Chartrand's member, and the guard gasped. "No, please—_ah_—please, Father, please—_ungh_—don't stop!"

Carlo gaped at the flushed man writhing beneath him. He had never heard the honorific spoken in such a sultry, helpless way—now he would never be able to face church-goers without remembering this.

Chartrand whimpered in loss as Carlo withdrew his fingers. Seconds later, the priest's head ducked out of sight. The younger man frowned. "Father, what are you—_aaah_!"

The scream tore from Chartrand's throat as Carlo's tongue probed his ass. Every thought flew from him mind—the fact that this was _the camerlengo_ who was tongue-fucking him through the mattress; or that the Pope was only two stories below them, having dinner; or that Olivetti would probably be planning ways to ream his ass when he got back.

But suddenly, Carlo's tongue was gone, replaced by something larger, harder, and cool. Chartrand cracked his eyes open for a second, just enough time to see Carlo toss a bottle of lotion over his shoulder, before closing them again and taking a deep breath.

There was a moment of silence, and then Carlo asked, "Chartrand? Are you alright?"

The guard nodded faintly, his eyes still closed, but still the priest didn't move. A hand cupped the younger man's cheek. "Chartrand, open your eyes. Please." Reluctantly, Chartrand opened his eyes, looking up at the camerlengo. "Chartrand, are you sure about this?"

"I-I'm sure."

Chartrand gasped as Carlo pushed in ever so slowly, only letting out his breath when the priest was fully sheathed. His eyes fixed on the ceiling and his hands gripping the sheets, the man heard Carlo panting, and then the world went out of focus as the camerlengo began to push in and out of him, his hips snapping forward with efficiency Chartrand didn't know he possessed.

A cry of pleasure came from the man above him, and Chartrand arched up and moaned as Carlo wrapped a hand around his member, the other gripping his hip with almost bruising power. Chartrand could feel his heart in his throat, and heat was pooling in the pit of his stomach. He was very, very close.

Suddenly, Carlo leaned down to kiss him, tugging on his bottom lip as he pulled away to gasp, and Chartrand was screaming, coming all over Carlo's hand. He slumped back against the sheets as Carlo came, flooding him, and the world went black.

* * *

When Chartrand came-to, he started with surprise. One of the cats—the one he had tripped over—was sitting on the chair by the bed, regarding him with cool, calculating eyes. Glancing at the curtains, Chartrand realized it had to already be past midnight; Olivetti was going to _kill_ him.

Sitting up, the sheets pooling around his waist, the Swiss Guard noticed he was still naked, but his clothes were lying folded on the corner of the bed. Looking around, Chartrand almost missed the camerlengo.

The other man was dressed, his robes wrinkled from where Chartrand had thrown them on the floor, hours before. His hair was a mess, and he was holding his head in his hands. Tentatively, his voice barely above a whisper, Chartrand asked, "Father?"

The camerlengo jumped at the voice, and looked up at the younger man. His eyes were hollow and blank, and his face was twisted with anguish—Chartrand's heart dropped into his stomach. Carlo's voice was cracked with shock and horror. "What have we _done_?"

* * *

_Bad evening-after, right? _

(laughs)

_Kit & _Violet


End file.
